That quote from owner Bob Evans, 72, is in the latest Detroit Blog jewel -- an evocative, poignant look at a West Jefferson business that opened in 1889.

The extensively researched essay glides through 120 years of Detroit and Delray history . . . accompanied by six vivid images -- four more than accompany his version in Metro Times today.
Their stunning bar, two stories of bricks and old wood, is 120 years old. Back then, Delray was an independent village growing through a steady inflow of Poles, Armenians and Hungarians. West Jefferson was still River Road, lined with tall maples and small businesses end to end. Dense housing sprang up to accommodate the immigrants.

The Solvay Process Co. opened a chemical plant here in 1894 and provided the village with jobs, paved streets, sewers, and a horse-drawn, four-wheeled fire truck manned by company employees, who also built the neighborhood’s first hospital. In 1901, Detroit Iron Works built two blast furnaces for iron-making on nearby Zug Island, added to later by Great Lakes Steel Corp.

Detroit annexed the village in 1905. By then, companies were flocking here, drawn by the access to river transportation and natural resources. The small town gave way to factories and chemical plants.